The Astrology of Social Networking Sites

Where can you meet like-minded people from all over the world, market your music, book, or artwork; and, simultaneously get back in contact with old friends, share your newest pictures with family, and make plans for tonight without a single phone call? The answer is online. Facebook and Myspace, the most popular worldwide networking sites, are a modern phenomenon. These free, interpersonal Web sites are the most frequented hangouts on the Internet. With so many million subscribers and thousands of new users each day, it's not possible to publish an accurate figure here! Registered users can, at no cost, message each other, market their work, share photos, and preview music. The two sites differ in appearance and some features, though both provide a social network and opportunity to stay updated with friends, join groups with common interests, and send and receive invitations to events.

A Uranus in Pisces Revolution
A venture into a MySpace or Facebook profile, complete with songs, photos, and whatever personal information one desires to share, is a trip into an individual's world. The MySpace network gives space for self-expression with blogs, videos, and creative layouts to express individual tastes. Once you create a profile on either site, a collage of your interests, talents, experiences, and thoughts becomes available to anyone who wishes to "open the box." From the practical, more straightforward nature of Facebook to the open format of MySpace, each sign of the zodiac can tailor the sites to suit his or her needs.

As far as astrological timing, it's of interest that the sites debuted in 2003 and 2004, after Uranus moved direct in Pisces. The planet of technology and ruler of Aquarius, Uranus is also a higher octave of Mercury, the messenger and communicator. The role of Uranus is to shake things up, push for new methods, and expand global consciousness. In Pisces until 2010, Uranus will continue to impact music and the arts, self-expression, intimacy, fantasy, and secrets. Clearly, MySpace and Facebook are Uranus in Pisces breakthroughs, shattering the norm and changing the way we communicate and make friends! Online networkers expand their number of contacts by adding friends or family, and by inviting or accepting friends of these friends to create a larger network.

Uranus is computers, connections, and large groups, while Pisces is a personal and reflective sign. Combine these two, and you get individuals sharing feelings and experiences through their status updates, blogs, and bulletins to friends. From recalling a bad day to sharing poetry or song lyrics to honoring a loved one who passed on with video or photo tributes, Internet social sites have given us license to express and reveal in a way that was never possible before.

In the privacy of one's own home computer, a profile is created for "friends" to view, and depending on one's personal privacy settings, for anyone who may stumble on it to discover! Facebook and MySpace profiles are basically public journals and calendars made available through technology. And in the nature of Uranus, both have disrupted the status quo, created controversy, broken down communication barriers, and in some cases exacerbated the gap between generations accustomed or unaccustomed to the use of computer technology in everyday life. Let's peer further into the history and astrology of the two outlets and project how each Sun Sign matches up to the features and personalities of MySpace and Facebook sites.

MySpace.com
MySpace, incarnated in July of 2003, exhibits the networking power of the Leo/Aquarius polarity with the creative nature of Pisces, the dominant astrological forces of that summer. Mercury, Jupiter, and the Sun toured Leo, and planets Mars and Uranus resided in Pisces all month long. Neptune was well into the degrees of Aquarius, across the zodiac from Leo planets, and directly opposite the planet of communication, Mercury, mid-month. The environment was ripe for an outlet like MySpace and the astrological timing was in place. A bit more history illustrates the growth of this interpersonal megalopolis.

MySpace.com was once an online storage and file-sharing firm that failed in 2001 due to lack of funds and poor service. Prior to that, the domain was home to a Web design firm. As Uranus moved into Pisces for a seven-year stay, MySpace as we now know it began. In July 2003, MySpace.com launched as the brainchild of Tom Anderson, a musician with a film degree. This Libra co-founded the site with business partners and he remains a visible part of the site as every MySpace user's first "friend." Born October 14, 1975, Tom grew up meeting friends and chatting online, and his vision was to create something better and more efficient than the networking sites he had frequented. Another mission of the new MySpace was to give musicians, artists, and bands an active online presence for networking and for communicating with a wide audience of potential fans. His idea filled a niche and it's been wildly successful. MySpace Music now has its own division where bands, record labels, and promoters post news, information, and music for users to sample and post on their own sites. Meanwhile, as of this writing, MySpace has become the top social networking site in the world and is the fifth most popular English-language site of all.

MySpace has a strong Leo chart. Jupiter and Mercury are extroverted and creative in Leo. Check out random profiles, and you'll see that people go to great lengths to individualize their cyberspace homes in grand Leo style. Graphics, both borrowed and original, help illustrate the interests and personality of the user. From "Which Tarot Card Are You?" to "What Color is Your Heart?" you can find quizzes, surveys, celebrity photos, and other ways to "pimp" your site in a variety of online locations. MySpace has few technological or content restrictions, so basically if you can find it or design it, you can post most anything on your space.

The Leo "showbiz" personality is also part of the attraction to the site. MySpace users can add musicians, authors, athletes, teams, radio and television personalities, and other famous friends who have profiles. Interaction with a "star" can range from receiving general updates to bulletins or messages about secret, friends-only events to accessing their blogs or, in some cases, maintaining contact through personal comments and messages. A MySpace profile is practically a must now in the entertainment industry, and entertainers and artists benefit from the free and extensive promotion a site provides.

Like all good things, MySpace also has a dark underbelly. The site's users are free to create their own fantasy worlds, which can include altering their ages or using false identities. For example, there are many sites where pranksters pose as famous people and seek legions of "friends" falsely. A common deception is the age change, where the young increase their age or older users opt to age down by entering false birth dates in the sign-up process. Whenever Neptune is involved, there's a sense of illusion or fantasy present, and in the case of MySpace, Mercury opposed Neptune at the time of inception. Some of this fantasy is harmless, though other more destructive forms of misrepresentation have been cited. Neptune opposite Mercury is a warning to use communication wisely to avoid scandal, gossip, or danger. MySpace users are wise to protect themselves from poseurs, predators, or known detractors who could use information with harmful intent.

Though both sites have implemented privacy settings, Facebook users seem to be a more cautious bunch. If you browse for potential friends on both sites, you will find many more on MySpace whose profiles are easily viewed.

Facebook.com
Facebook shares the Aquarian community aspect, with the Sun just a few degrees from Neptune at its launch on February 4, 2004. The site was conceived by Mark Zuckerberg, a Taurus and one-time Harvard student, who designed it as a networking space for Harvard. Too popular to stay exclusive, the site soon spread to other Ivy League and Boston campuses. By September of 2006, Facebook was available to anyone over the age of thirteen who had a valid e-mail account. Often considered a more elite or intelligent networking site, Facebook has a more practical, streamlined system designed less for creative expression and more for instant connection. A notable astrological influence on the date of Facebook inception was Mercury in Capricorn, which may account for the down-to-earth feel of the site. Mercury in Capricorn is less showbiz and more business-like and concrete. Facebook focuses on what's going on in the moment and is less about color, graphics, and personal style, reflecting a more Capricorn mentality.

Click on Facebook "Home" and you'll find a news feed feature, a basic premise of the site, which keeps friends informed of their contacts' updates, such as where they are currently, who they are now friends with, and what pages they have visited. This has sometimes been linked to cyberstalking; however, on Facebook, one can only add friends linked to work, school, or a social network, and privacy settings are available.

Subscribers can control what type of information is shared automatically and in turn prevent friends from seeing updates as desired. A Facebook profile, limited to professional or school network, with or without additional privacy settings, is less available to random browsers than one on MySpace. Still, with a strong Neptune influence, individuals need to use caution to avoid deception and distorted realities that could result from online interactions. College admissions officers and prospective employers now screen candidates' profiles as well, and many agree that it's best to post only what you're willing to be judged upon, or to keep your profile closed to the public.

Many people enjoy keeping profiles on both sites, possibly with different frequency of use and often for different intents. Our Sun sign may very well factor into which site we feel most comfortable with or which best suits our use. Style, habits, and purposes all factor in to Sun signs online.

• Aries: A speedy way to communicate is ideal for Aries, who wants to get the message across and get on to other things. Aries may not create the most extensive photo album or reveal all in a blog, but she does like the instant gratification of broadcasting plans and events to a large group of friends simultaneously, followed by quick replies. Aries is a Facebook on-the-go kind of girl, with a hand-held she can check at a moment's notice. The MySpace world may require too much time and effort.
• Taurus: Taurus is generally a cautious user of networking sites. Slower to warm up and less likely to give out personal information, Taurus will lean toward a profile for friends only, with privacy settings in place. Building a comfort level, Taurus will then be happy to attract old friends back into his circle and develop an enjoyment of checking in, posting photos, and keeping in better touch, something he used to do mainly by telephone. Facebook's streamlined nature may suit Taurus best.
• Gemini: Gemini is a sign that will happily take advantage of all online outlets. Facebook may be the social outlet used to plan with friends, find the best party, and keep in continuous touch. Myspace combined with a site like Live Journal provide the blogging space and outlet necessary for Gemini to spread videos, photographs, and news stories of interest. Once Gemini gets started, the online world can be central to his universe. Granted, it may take a while for the initial interest to develop, but once Gemini realizes there's a way to socialize while working and a method for marketing while making new friends, Gemini will wonder how we ever knew life another way.
• Cancer: Reconnecting with old friends is a huge draw for Cancer, and Facebook seems to satisfy that need best. Since Facebook is organized by networks, such as alma maters and hometowns, the site can become one big reunion online. Cancer likes that! While MySpace provides a good creative outlet for Cancer musicians, writers, or artists, Facebook has the personal side a Cancer relates to. Going through pictures of high school buddies organized in albums appeals to Cancer's innate connection to the past. A Facebook trip down Memory Lane will hook Cancer in for future visits to friends' profiles.
• Leo: The wide open nature of MySpace has Leo appeal. With videos, blogs, photos, and creative layouts, Leos love the ease of access and creative expression factor. Then there's the lure of unlimited friends and contacts, connection to showbiz personalities and performers, and the ability to showcase one's own talents and tastes. Leo is in Internet heaven in this domain. As one of the zodiac's political, creative, and social beings, Leos won't hesitate to frequent more than one site.
• Virgo: Virgo is a taste-tester in the online world. He'll sample networking sites, find out which fits his options best, and tend to use it minimally to communicate and plan in practical ways. Facebook may be more of a home to Virgo, who's satisfied with the more minimalist approach, appreciates the privacy of smaller networks, and doesn't need flash and glitter on his page as a rule. Virgo is one sign that will realize and appreciate the business possibilities of both MySpace and Facebook. Ruled by planet Mercury, Virgo will combine online friendships with building a clientele or marketing services or goods.
• Libra: Both the founders of MySpace and Facebook were born under signs ruled by Venus, the zodiac's charmer. Like designers Tom and Mark, Libra will revel in the social aspect and also maximize use of Facebook and MySpace for both professional and personal reasons. Ruled by air, Libra is likely to use the "chat" function that allows instant conversations with online friends. From making plans for Friday night to sharing shopping or sales tips, the profile photo and instant connection has Libra appeal. Libra may be your friend who uses sites to promote music or sell from her eBay store, finding ways to innovate and combine business with pleasure.
• Scorpio: Having a dedicated space for self-expression is a great Scorpio outlet. A Scorpio writer can blog or try out his new stories on friends. Scorpio musicians can post songs, and videographers and photographers can create galleries of their works. Scorpio will appreciate features of both sites, using MySpace for creative pursuits and Facebook, with privacy settings, for contact with true friends. Scorpio appreciates you not leaving lots of public messages and comments. Make plans and send messages using the Inbox instead.
• Sagittarius: Sagittarius is a casual user of online networking sites. In fact, many Sagittarians may find they don't have the time or the attention span to bother. On the other hand, the social network is appealing to Sagittarius, and once hooked she will value the speed and ease of connecting with friends. Facebook mobile access on the hand-held is made for Sagittarius's personal style, and with no downtime necessary, Sagittarius can communicate on the fly. Sagittarius musicians and writers are the exception, and they will use MySpace and other online outlets with more enthusiasm to promote their work.
• Capricorn: Capricorn shares that Facebook quality of streamlining communication. Remember that Mercury visited Capricorn when Facebook was born. Capricorn is a sign that will use online networking for both business and pleasure and may choose to keep separate sites for each. For professional reasons, Capricorn appreciates being able to market and manage a contact list so easily. These sites are just another way to do business for a sign that loves to diversify. For friendship, Capricorn may not be out to meet new people as much as keep up with high school, college, and other friends and acquaintances. Capricorn values the past, and previous to online networking, catching up with old friends required much more work. For Capricorn, Facebook and MySpace use has to be efficient and personally satisfying to keep his attention.
• Aquarius: Aquarius, the sign of friendship and community, vision, and technology, probably wonders how we ever functioned prior to online networks! Astrologically, both major networking sites have strong Aquarius charts, illustrating the Aquarian aspect of the online world in general. Facebook and MySpace groups, where like-minded individuals connect, will appeal to Aquarius, who is always interested in sharing information and expertise. From maintaining friendships to creating social calendars, broadcasting music and events, and maintaining galleries or blogs of creative work, Aquarius is all in!
• Pisces: Pisces folks vary in the way they feel about online social sites. Some Pisces love another way to communicate with friends while others feel it's no substitute for a real phone conversation or face-to-face meeting. Creative Pisces revels in a place where you can share art and music with ease! Then there are the Pisces who act as voyeurs, scanning sites and profiles but participating minimally, out of fear or uncertainty. Pisces is a complex sign when it comes to online networking. Using an appropriate amount of caution is a good idea for Pisces, Neptune's sign, since they are vulnerable to any kind of fantasy world. Once comfortable, Pisces enjoys having another way to keep in touch with dear friends who are far away.

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From Llewellyn's 2010 Sun Sign Book. For a list of current calendars and almanacs, click here.